Bird Etchings

​Duckling 4" x 5" drypointThe inspiration for this image goes back a few years – to 1987. From May until early September, I led a field crew for the US Fish & Wildlife Service on Alaska’s North Slope Bird Habitat Study. Our camp was on the Colville River Delta about one hundred miles west of Prudhoe Bay. One day this duckling wandered into our camp and showed no interest in leaving, so we filled a basin with water and enjoyed watching our unexpected visitor amuse itself in its private pool for an hour or so. Eventually, this intrepid character got hungry and with a quick hop out of the basin, it dashed off to one the many small ponds surrounding camp. The duckling’s visit provided me an opportunity to sketch and photograph it and enjoy this tiny spark of life on the vast Alaskan tundra.

Canada Geese

Cormorants Sun Bathing

Evening Marsh - Ducks

Flight

Bright Day Cormorants

Yellowlegs

Goldeneyes

Harris's Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk II

Raven, Crow, Skull

Ibises at Sunset

Moorhens at Dusk

Chickadee & Milkweed5" x 4" drypointI've stayed away from this bird as a subject because it is so cute that almost any image would be appealing no matter the quality or lack of quality of the design. But then I saw this bird on a dried milkweed and the similarity of shapes, sizes and values between the bird and the plant gave me the solid design foundation I was looking for to make it more than a rendering of an admittedly cute little bird. There's a lot going on in terms of design and if you view it upside down it is easier to see in that way. Having said all that, they are irresistibly charming creatures and that's a big part of what the print is about.

Cottontail Rabbit 7" x 5" drypoint $375I was struck by the natural dignity of this creature - how it fulfilled its role in the great order of things - without objections. I thought it was at least as worthy of a formal portrait as any Burgermeister, princeling or great leader.

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The color of each image has been adjusted to match the original artwork as closely as possible. However, every computer monitor displays color differently. If you acquire a piece of my work and the color is dramatically different from what you were expecting, you may return the artwork immediately for a full refund, less shipping costs. Paintings are unframed.